Thanks to everyone who came to the Bazaar of the Bizarre yesterday and said hello. Lots of familiar and new faces. I think it was the best one yet. I certainly watched a lot of my little critters and creations find new homes with folk who love Halloween and art.

I was flying solo at the show so besides one quick run through the building, I didn't get to take in all the cool items for sale.

I did, however, pick up this ridiculously cute little zombie doll made by Johanna Chaytor of Charlotte & Stewart.

After going to the blog, be sure to check out her flickr account for a gallery of all the beautifully detailed dolls she makes. I watched as she meticulously worked on teeny tiny t-shirts for new creations. Very cool.

And not all of her dolls are zombies (I just happened to pick one that was).

Speaking of zombies, the Toronto Zombie Walk took place this weekend (while I was working *sigh*). Check out the fantastic pictures posted through Torontoist.com. Some gorgeously dark and interesting makeup/costume work, plus a group of Where's Waldo as well as Bob and Doug Mackenzie zombie outfits.

Come to the Bazaar of the Bizarre! A marketplace for all things exotic, whimsical and macabre! Local artists - indie, goth, lowbrow and the Halloween inspired - will gather for the annual event (and belly dancers!).

I'm all packed up (almost) and ready to go (almost). There's going to be lots of $10 & $20 items on my table (priced specially for the show). So if you've been eyeing any of my items, today is the day to come buy them.

I'm not sure where the original ad came from (I spotted it on a Tumblr account), but I love the description.

You put your coin on the step of the house and "With a groan and a rattle, the house lights up - spookily - and the door slowly opens. The Horror Hand sneaks out of the doorway and snatches the coin back in! "

Sold!

Best part? The money back guarantee. As if I wouldn't be satisfied!

Of course, I wonder what it actually looked like. The artist rendition is lovely but I get the sense the bank itself may not have been so detailed.

To simplify my life this Halloween, I picked a theme (Halloween in the Black Lodge - a Twin Peaks reference) that would not involve a lot of large scale prop building. There would only be one big one. Sounds simple, yes? I mean, I usually build numerous props for a theme, so one should be a breeze.

There's a statue seen in the Red Room/Black Lodge on the series.

A very famous statue.

In fact, one could argue besides David, the Thinker, and Atlas, it's probably the most recognizable sculpture ever made: Venus.

It's one thing to create something from your own imagination, or a symbol known by people. But I mean...it's freakin' Venus. Not only do I have NO experience sculpting humans (the closest I've come is my Witch in the Woods but she was a character, not a realistic sculpt), but I am not a famous master Roman sculptor!

I decided right from the start that I would NOT be aiming to recreate Venus. That would be stupid. And drive me to drink.

Instead, I would aim for generic white sculpture of a woman with Roman qualities.

There hasn't been much time for anything, lately. I've tried to put the brakes on a little and remind myself to enjoy the season (don't want to be all Sally Brown, lamenting "Halloween is over and I MISSED it!").

A huge part of that - as a child and as an adult - is media. Be it film or television, the one constant in my celebration regime is animation of some sort.

Is it me, or does there seem to be a lack of Halloween cartoons in the last 10 years? The Nickelodeon collection of cartoon series are good to deliver a special episode, but where are the stand alone features? And I don't count newer Disney specials which star people (hey Disney, remember when you made cartoons? I think it made you famous).

Dreamworks has stepped up and tried to fill the Halloween gap with Shrek and Monsters vs Aliens specials, but where is everyone else?

It's called Working Mummies illustrated by Drazen Kozjan and written by Joan Horton.

I've only had a few spare, quiet moments to read through it a number of times (love it!), my eyes trying to take in all the Halloween goodness, but it ticks all the right boxes for me: great images, strong female characters, and well written rhymes.

The book explores the different jobs of Mummies in the monster world, like Writers, Teachers, Dentists and even Real Estate Mummies:

Time is stuck on fast forward. Days are busy. If I have free time, Yetch doesn't. If Yetch has free time...well, Yetch doesn't have free time. Not since...last winter?

I'm glad I decided to go with a more minimal (for me) party theme this year. I know it's really minimal when Yetch is having a work meeting online, turns his laptop around so people can see what I've done in the living room, and he's explaining how I "usually do much more" (ouch!). I also took advantage of using a number of store bought/classic decorations, to which he said "It looks nice, but it doesn't look like you" (double ouch!). The thing is, the theme doesn't lend itself to too many homemade props. I've barely had time to work on the bust I started (progress, yes, but not finished).

I'm ALSO trying to get ready for my show on Sunday. Balancing this whole art vs party-theme-build is not easy. Plus there's that pesky business of day jobs. And Monkey Boos (I love my pup but sheesh!). And trying to have a bit of a life. And sleep.